A tam o' shanter (in the British military often abbreviated TOS or tam) is a 19th-century traditional Scottish bonnet worn by men. It is named after Tam o' Shanter, the eponymous hero of the 1790 Robert Burns poem.[1]

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The tam o'shanter's cap is normally constructed in cylindrical fashion out of six "pie segments" of woolen fabric and is attached to a 1-inch (25 mm) headband of the same material. It was first worn throughout northwestern Europe during the 15th century. It is made of wool and has a toorie in the centre. It also has as a main hallmark the clan tartan woven into its woollen threads. This distinguishes it from other bonnets such as the beret. Although brimless, the tam o'shanter, like all Scots bonnets, has an external hatband.[citation needed]

Before the introduction of inexpensive chemical dyes in the mid-19th century, the Scottish bonnet was made only in black, brown, or blue cloth, the blue kind dyed with woad or indigo ("blue bonnets").[1] Now it is available in a wide variety of colors, as well as tartan. Women have also adopted a form of this hat known as a “tammy” or “tam”. The original form of the Balmoral bonnet and the Glengarry in Highland dress, the tam o' shanter is now best known as the headgear of a number of Scottish infantry regiments and those with Scottish affiliations.[citation needed]

A khaki Balmoral bonnet was introduced in 1915 for wear in the trenches by Scottish infantry serving on the Western Front. This came to be known as the bonnet, or tam o' shanter, later abbreviated among military personnel to ToS. It replaced the Glengarry – a dark blue cap with coloured dicing, which had been worn with khaki field dress by Highland regiments during the early months of the war.[citation needed]

The tam o' shanter was traditionally worn by various regiments of the Australian Army which have a Scottish connection. B (Scottish) Company 5th/6th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment[2] wore both a khaki and blue bonnet at various stages. It appears this has now been superseded by the Glengarry.[3]

The velvet academic tam worn with a tassel is part of the ceremonial dress used at many universities to distinguish those holding the Ph.D. from those holding other academic degrees. Although referred to as a "tam", the academic tam derives from the Tudor bonnet rather than the Scottish tam o' shanter, and the cap is constructed of two pieces of either six- or eight-pointed cuts of fabric attached to a headband rather than the pie segments used in a tam o' shanter.[4]

The tam, or tam cap, became a fashionable women's accessory from the early 1920s and was derived from the tam o' shanter. It followed the trends for closer fitting hats and for borrowing from men's fashion.[5][6]